Handcuffed man makes a getaway at Austin's SXSW

A routine arrest in the US took an unexpected turn this week when a handcuffed suspect tried to make a run for it as several distracted cops stood metres aware.

Police responded to Sixth Street, Austin during South by Southwest festival on Thursday at 5.30pm (local time) following reports of an altercation between two disorderly men in front of the Blind Pig Pub.

Onlookers who had gathered to watch the fight were soon presented with another source of entertainment as the perp tried to make the most of his arresting officers' backs being turned.

As police attempted to break up the fight a third man pulled an officer off one of the suspects.

As they taser the unruly intruder, one of the handcuffed men made his move, standing up only to fall down twice.

Finally he found his feet and made a dash through the stunned crowd, with JR Torres capturing the comical incident on video.

Despite earlier reports saying he managed to elude police, another witness down the road snapped some photos of the aftermath, showing that the handcuffed runner did not escape unscathed.